Tom Fetzer – Reese Newshttp://reesenews.org
Just another RFDN Sites siteMon, 08 Dec 2014 22:27:42 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3Raleigh: Mayoral race 'the most significant election in a decade'http://reesenews.org/2011/10/10/raleigh-mayoral-race-the-most-significant-election-in-a-decade/22852/
http://reesenews.org/2011/10/10/raleigh-mayoral-race-the-most-significant-election-in-a-decade/22852/#commentsMon, 10 Oct 2011 22:05:44 +0000http://reesenews.org/?p=22852Raleigh’s relatively tame mayoral campaign season gained momentum in the final week before the Oct. 11 election as candidates and their organizations geared up to motivate supporters to go to the polls for one of the city’s most important elections.

“I don’t believe the candidates have said anything really revelational and the race has been overshadowed by the noisier and more controversial school board election,” said Fetzer, who worked in behalf of Williams’ candidacy.

The mayoral elections haven’t packed as much punch as other races mostly because the candidates have similar platforms and avoided divisive issues.

“If you listen to sound bites, we sound just alike,” said Redmond. “We are nice, capable, hardworking people. Yet, we are fundamentally different in the way we would lead.”

McFarlane is running as an independent, but plans to follow in Mayor Charles Meeker’s footsteps. Securing the outgoing mayor’s endorsement emphasizes McFarlane’s desire to continue the trend of careful urban planning and increased communication between the city council and residents.

In the final candidate forum Thursday, McFarlane said, “It’s really about figuring out what people want and how it’s going to enhance their lives and building a system accordingly.”

All three candidates are promoting the expansion of city parks, most notably wanting to secure the Dorothea Dix property for a major city park. Furthermore, the candidates agree that public transportation needs to be improved, but the group differs on when and by how much.

Karen Rindge, executive director of WakeUp Wake County, a nonpartisan citizen group, has had close-up experience in examining the various positions of each candidate. At WakeUp sponsored forums, Rindge has heard the mayoral platforms multiple times.

In terms of transportation, Rindge said all three indicated that they would support putting a half-cent sales tax referendum on the ballot that would expand bus service and promote a light-rail system. However, she said, “Redmond questioned how soon we should do that.”

Rindge had other observations of Redmond breaking away from the group. “She is trying to make municipal debt more of an issue than I think it really is,” said Rindge. “I think she’s doing that to find some weakness in the past agenda of the Raleigh city council.”

In response, Redmond said, “It’s not about our debt today. It’s about the debt in the future. Our priorities are out of order given the economic realities that Raleigh faces.”

While Redmond supports the purpose of the transportation bond proposal on the ballot, she doesn’t think it’s appropriate to raise property taxes, defer maintenance and reduce services to compensate for the expense. “Are we going to spend on what we want before we spend on what we have to do?” asked Redmond.

Highlighting her experience as a businesswoman, Redmond focuses on the city’s fiscal condition to promote her strengths as the solution.

“It’s all about responsibility and accountability,” she said. “Our citizens are tired of rhetoric. They want someone to get something done.”

Yet, as Rindge says, “Both Nancy and Billie are very accomplished business women.” McFarlane owns and operates a pharmaceutical company specializing in all-inclusive homecare.

Williams, by far, brings the most distinctive personal career credentials to the table. An OB-GYN and provider of humanitarian services in foreign countries, Williams has spent more time in the operating room and abroad than in the city hall. Yet, Fetzer, who has served as Williams’s campaign adviser, says a background in government isn’t necessary for the job.

“I don’t think it takes a great deal of political experience to be a good mayor,” said Fetzer. “You just need to be reasonably intelligent and have a strong sense of what’s right.”

Williams, a Republican, is running as a fiscal conservative dedicated to public service. Fetzer describes Williams as “very altruistic,” with more than 2,000 volunteer hours in Raleigh city schools. Williams, like Redmond and McFarlane, hopes to increase the city’s tax base by recruiting more workers and large companies to the area. The need for job creation is pivotal in all three platforms.

In terms of funding, Redmond out-raised McFarlane and Williams by a long shot, but McFarlane has worked most closely with city government. Williams has shown himself to be a dedicated civic volunteer in non-political matters.

From his own experience, Fetzer presented some qualities key to a successful mayor: “You need a person willing to make tough decisions, who won’t cave under the pressure to spend and borrow money…The mayor must keep the place safe for all citizens and maintain the city’s high quality of life.”

Rindge, on the other hand, said the way citizens see the city’s current condition will determine the election.

“Overall, they are going to vote on whether or not they think the city has been moving in the right direction or not and whether they think the decisions of the city council make sense,” she said.

Raleigh is in a crucial position right now. Nationally, it keeps leading the competition in the race for America’s best city, yet it faces significant debt accumulated to provide infrastructure to meet the wants and needs of a growing population.

“We are not going to know the real impact until Tuesday, but this is the most significant election in a decade,” said Rindge.

This article was reported as a part of the JOMC 253 Reporting course at UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.